The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1887-11-04
Stories Of the War.

u Z
should give tneIr "Reminiscences biIey
could add a great many interesting
stories to the incidents of the war
which make such popular reading to.
day." said an ex.army surgeon nov
connected with one of the departments
in Washington.
"In 1868 ] was the acting assistant
surgeon Of the Eighteenth Pennsylva-
MIA Cavalry. We crossed the Poto.
maic at Raccoon Fork. and marched.to
Frederick, where the command was
changed, General Hooker succeeding
Gen. Meade at the head Of the divis.
ion, and Gen. Stahel was made COM
mandant OF cavalry, in place Of Gen.
Pleasanton.
ION Sunday, July 2, the first bri.
gade was engaged in q small fight at
Littlestown, and following that we
had another little furry at Red Mills.
Then came the battle of Gettysburg.
/ was detailed to take charge Of the
hospital st Hanover, which was a few
miles away from the field, and two or
three days after the fight q poor fell
low was brought in who had been
found in q wheat field, shot all to
pieces. He had lain in the broiling
sun for three days without food or
shelter Of any kind and he was in q
horrible condition. His case seemed
q hopeless one from the moment we
laid eyes upon him, but everything
was done to ease his dying hours, and
to make him comfortable as he passed
out of this world. Under the direc-
ton of the supervising surgeon, alarge
dose OF morphine was administered in
order that he might pass away with
as little consciousness OF pain as pos
sible. But forty-elght hours after
ward he still lived, and did not seem
at all inclined to quit.
Just then a young lady from Han
over, who had been helping around
the hospital, asked If there were any
special cases of which she might take
charge. She was told that there were,
and was assigned to look after this
poor fellow. She did her work so well
that shortly after he was able TO be
removed from the field hospital to a
better one, where he continued to inn
prove, and, shortly after, entirely re-
covered. This mans name vas Nc
Even, and he had been q private in q
Missouri regiment. When discharged
as convalescent he at once married
the young lGdy who did so much to-
Ward saving his life, and soon after
ward returned to his command, where
ne rapidly arose in rank, and was
finally mustered out as a Captain"
There was another interesting case
which anne under my observation.
At the battle of Billiards. Dam, seven
miles below Falmouth. Lieut.. w. C..
Weeks of the Fifth Michigan Cavalry,
received q shot wound in the
foot which entirely shattered
all the interior bones. He
was taken to the real and attended
by DR.. Wooster of the First Michigan
Cavalry and DIR. Wood of the Fifth
New York. These surgeons at once
announced that the entire foot
would have to be amputated, but
Weeks declined to allow the operation
to be performed until ne had seen the
surgeon of his own regiment, DR.. Ar
thur X. st. Clair, in whom he had the
utmost confidence. As soon as it
could be done st. Clair examined the
foot and decided that a portion OF it
could be saved. 1t was late at night,
but an improvised surgeons table
was prepared and q number OF tallow
dips were lighted in order that the OPP
GRAFTON might be property performed.
Then DIR. st. Clair dlssected out allthe
anterior bones Of thefoot and brought
down the heel bone, so that it was di-
rectly under instead OF behind the ex-
he removed the ar~ticulating surface,
and, bringing a flap of the flesh
around, finished what is known as the
Pirogoff operation.
This was the first and only tinethat
this operation was performed during
the war. The field hospital was not
q very convenient place for a man to
recover from such a wound as this
had been, and Weeks was sent on to
Washington. where he had quarters
in the hospital on Armory square.
Here the attending surgeons EXAMINE
ed him and decided that, inasmuch as
there was great danger OF blood poi
soning, and little hope ofsavinge even a
portion of the foot, be must submit
to an amputation of the lower por-
ton OF his leg. Weeks absolutely re-
fused to have this done. He said that
DR.. st. Clair had told him that with
proper care be might recover, and he
believed ID ST. Clair more than any
other surgeon in the army. Thissome-
what Disguised the doctcss. who had
little time for sympathy IN thosedays,
and Weeks was allowed 20 remain
with very little attention. He laid
there Tor some weeks, growing con-
stantly worse and almost neglected,
until oDA day Senator Zach Chandler
visited the hospital looking for Mich
ican men.
Weeks heard his voice as he passed
through the wards and shouted to
Chandler that he was Michigan man,
and that IL he did NOT receive atten-
ton ne would surely die. Chandler
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